N is for ?
by ChildofBooks
Summary: An old spell in a dusty old book supposedly will give you a clue as to who your soulmate is. All you need is a moonlit night, a wooden bowl filled with water, and a drop of blood. When Lucy tries she is surprised to see a crimson letter N staring back at her. Now all that's left is to find out What does N stand for? (Nalu Soulmate AU)
1. Prologue - Blood in the Bowl

_Prologue ~ Blood in the Bowl_

"Hey look what I found!"

Lucy turned her head not surprised to find Levy waving a book in her face.

"What's this one about Levy?"

Levy's eyes shimmered with excitement, eager as always to share her new knowledge with her friend.

"It's a book of legends and simple spells!"

Lucy chuckled. "Do you actually believe in spells?"

The bluenette shrugged, "Well, you never know 'till you try right?"

She leaned in close, eyebrows wiggling mischievously. "Wanna try?"

Lucy laughed and nodded eagerly as Levy began flipping through the pages of the dusty old book. She slowed and finally stopped on a page before smiling up and turning the book to face her blonde friend.

"What about this one?"

Lucy read the page, it was a spell for finding your soulmate.

The blonde blushed and smiled. She'd always loved the idea of soulmates and finding one's perfect match. If this spell worked then maybe it would give her he push in the right direction to finding them.

"Let's do it!" she said punching a fist in the air enthusiastically.

"Alright!"

Together the two scrambled to get the necessary ingredients for the spell. They grabbed two wooden bowls and filled them with water. They grabbed a sharp knife from the kitchen as well as scrubbing alcohol and a clean cloth. They then sat on the ground by the open window, letting the light of the moon fall over the bowls, its silver glow reflected in the waters.

"Okay so all we have to do is spill a drop of blood into the water and ask to know our soulmate" Levy explained calmly.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Lucy asked eyeing the knife warily.

"Of course, we have the alcohol to sanitize and as long as we nick somewhere with no important arteries or anything we should be good"

"Okay"

"Here, I'll go first"

Levy frowned in thought, then carefully nicked her elbow with the knife. Just a small cut, nothing too deep but enough to bleed. She then held her elbow over the bowl and squeezed a drop into the water. She scrunched up her eyes tight and Lucy could practically hear her demanding the identity of her soulmate despite the bluenette not making a sound.

The blood swirled in the water, the crimson glowing in the moonlight, it floated round and round until it settled in a G shaped swirl.

Levy opened her eyes and looked at the G excitedly.

"Oooh! Their name starts with G! I wonder if it's a George or a Greg, or perhaps a Galahad?!"

Lucy arched a blonde eyebrow skeptically. "Galahad?"

"From the Legends of King Arthur!"

Lucy snorted, she was really starting to doubt this worked. After all liquids naturally swirled so the letter was almost guaranteed to be a G, C, O, or Q, which meant this whole thing was probably rigged.

The blonde said as much to her friend who just tsked at her.

"C'mon Lucy, just give it a chance!"

Lucy sighed and took the knife, sanitizing it with the alcohol and the rag. She decided to allow herself the chance to imagine what it would be like to have a soulmate, what her soulmate would be like. They'd definitely have to be kind, and free-spirited, not controlling like certain people she'd had in her life.

She took a deep breath and, mimicking Levy, made a small cut on her elbow. Putting down the knife she squeezed a drop of blood into the water and closed her eyes.

In that moment Lucy allowed herself to make a wish, something she hadn't done in a while. She wished for help in finding a soulmate, her other half, someone who would take her on adventures and never let her fall.

She opened her eyes when Levy gasped.

She looked into the bowl and gasped as well.

There, sparkling in the moonlight was a very straight-edged letter N.

Levy giggled, "Who said it was rigged?" she teased.

Lucy just smiled. This was magic and better yet, it was her first clue to finding her ultimate partner.

Now all she needed to know is what N stood for.

* * *

 **A/N: So I love all the SoulmateAUs and I was running out of fics to read so decided to write one :P Let me know if you're enjoying it because while I actually did plan this out (SHOCKING) I tend to lose motivation and your reviews really do help! And of course critiques on how to improve are always welcome!  
Hope you enjoy!  
ChildofBooks**


	2. 1 - S is for Salamander

**A/N: Um wow! I was not expecting the response I did! I am so happy and excited that there are so many people interested in my fic! Please continue to review and of course enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 1 ~ S is for Salamander_

Lucy suppressed a groan. This date was really not going well.

First he had been late, second he had picked a really sketchy diner on the not so nice part of town, and third the guy wouldn't shut up about himself. Honestly the only thing he had going for him was that his name was Nathan, which just so happened to start with the letter N.

Lucy had fallen into the habit of only dating guys whose name started with N since she knew that was the letter her soulmate's name started with. Not that she thought Nathan was her soulmate. The guy was so obnoxious and seemed to just want her to sit pretty and listen, which was definitely **not** what Lucy had in mind.

As soon as Nathan started bringing up the topic of his ex-girlfriends, Lucy decided she had had enough.

She pretended to look at her phone and faked a gasp.

"Oh my goodness! I completely forgot what today was! I'm sorry but I need to go home, thanks for the date" the blonde said putting down enough money on the table to cover her half of the meal before walking away as quickly as she could without being completely rude. After all she was a well brought up lady.

Lucy gave a big sigh as she stood outside the restaurant, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air. A light breeze rustled the skirt of her dress as she looked around deciding what would be the quickest route back to her apartment.

Looking up at the stars the blonde decided that left was the way to go. She turned in that direction and abruptly bumped into someone, hard.

Lucy fell back with a gasp, landing solidly on her rear.

"Oww" she groaned trying to get back up when she was suddenly yanked into the air by her right hand, she yelped trying to regain her balance on her heels as she finally started to register that the person she'd bumped into was talking, she kind of had to assume he'd also been the one to help her up but she hadn't really been paying attention.

"Oy weirdo, are you okay?!"

Lucy frowned at the weirdo comment and was about to retort, when she finally noticed who she'd bumped into. Or more specifically his bright pink hair.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion, "It's pink" she murmured.

"What? Oh gee, you hit your head didn't you? I'm really sorry, I can take you to the hospital if you need"

Lucy snapped out of her daze, ripping her eyes away from the man's hair she looked at his face which was proceeding to talk a mile a minute.

"I'm fine" she said trying to get the guy's attention. "I landed on my rear not my head, you can just go away now" Lucy made a small hearted shooing motion. Honestly she was just really tired and this whole thing was just awkward. Most people who bumped into you just kept walking away.

Obviously the pinkette wasn't "most people".

He frowned at her. His brows scrunching together.

"I really am sorry, are you sure you're okay?"

Lucy gave a little sigh, she shrugged, her bare shoulders starting to get chilly in the night air.

"Yeah, it's just been a long day"

The man's face suddenly relaxed Almost like he was relieved to hear that he wasn't the source of the blonde's troubles. He tilted his head in thought then flashed a crooked grin.

"Everyone has days like that but I find they always have a weird way of turning around on you. Are you heading home? You shouldn't be walking alone at night, I could walk with you if you wanted"

Lucy blinked, stunned, who even was this? She was almost knocked over again by his words alone.

"What? No, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself, besides you're a complete stranger!"

The pinkette just laughed, "Well that's an easy fix" he said holding out his hand to her. "My friends tend to call me Salamander because of the whole fire thing, really I think Dragon is more appropriate, I think it's because I'm shorter or whatever but I can still take any of them in a fight because I am totally stronger"

"Whoa" Lucy said throwing her hands up as a gesture for him to stop or at least slow down.

"Look you seem nice and all but I just want to go home" she said stepping around him.

The guy, Salamander, or whatever, frowned at her.

"You sure that's safe? It's pretty late and you seem really distracted"

Lucy groaned turning to look at him while still walking backward.

"The only thing distracting me right now is you!"

And right on cue, as if the universe were trying to prove her point, her heel got caught in a sidewalk crack and snapped. Lucy lost her balance and fell once again on her rear. Her eyes stung with tears. Gosh, this was just getting embarrassing.

Salamander's eyes widened and he bit his lip, his eyebrows scrunching together as he slowly approached Lucy. Then he couldn't help it, he laughed.

Lucy's frown deepened. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the idiot who couldn't seem able to leave her alone.

Finally the pinkette managed to calm himself and offered her a hand.

"I'm really sorry to be such a distraction, please let me walk you home?" he said giving her a bright smile, his eyes brightening with it.

Lucy sighed and accepted the offered hand, allowing her to pull her to her feet. It was hard to stand with her one now broken heel, so perhaps she could use some help getting home.

"You swear you're not a serial killer?" she said poking him squarely in the chest.

The man seemed startled and then smiling he held up his hands like in an oath, "I swear on my sister's cat!"

Lucy quirked her head, "Your sister's cat?"

Salamander nodded his head eagerly, "Oh yeah, Charle is a very serious kitty. She means business too, if I ever break a promise to Wendy, even by accident, the little monster would claw me to death! I'm sure she'd do the same if I broke a promise to you too. Even if you are a weirdo"

Lucy smacked him lightly. "Stop calling me that!"

"Well you haven't exactly given me a name to call you"

Lucy frowned.

"My apartment is that way" she said pointing. Despite swearing on the promise-cat Charle, she still didn't feel completely comfortable. After all they were strangers.

The pinkette just shrugged and stretched his arms behind his head. "Alright, sounds cool. Lead the way" he paused and then added "Weirdo" with a wink.

Lucy groaned and started marching off in the direction of her home, momentarily forgetting about the broken heel. She almost toppled forward when luckily Salamander caught her by the elbow, pulling her up and towards him.

"You really should be more careful" he murmured looking at her. Lucy blushed. He was very close.

She gently pulled away with a murmured "thank you".

He allowed her some space but stayed close in case she lost her balance again. His entire presence was warm and comforting. The two walked in silence for a bit, and then he started talking again.

Lucy just had to laugh, Salamander was just so animated when he talked, and he talked about everything, jumping from topic to topic like a little kid. The more common trends were his little sister Wendy, who was really nice and would totally like her, if they ever got the chance to meet, a cold hearted stripper named Gray? And his own at Happy. He definitely seemed to live a very colourful life and Lucy soon found herself laughing at his stories. She almost walked past her building.

The blonde managed to catch herself however and turned to face the pinkette.

"This is me" she said.

The boy looked sad. "Aw I was having fun talking to you"

Lucy just giggled. "You're so weird"

He just grinned. "Not as weird as you, Weirdo"

She laughed and waved him goodnight, stepping into her apartment building.

What had started as a long day had turned into a rather interesting adventure with a pink haired guy named Salamander of all things.

Maybe he was right, and things were turning around for her.

After all, tomorrow was a new day.


	3. 2 - C is for Coffee

**A/N: Yay another chapter! Don't get too used to these constant updates, I update really randomly, it all depends on when I finish the next chapter. Luckily I have the whole thing planned out so hopefully no writer's block on this one! LONGEST FANFIC YET!**

 **Please R &R!**

 _They say once you've found your soulmate, the two of you will be constantly drawn back to each other._

* * *

Lucy woke up with a groan. Her butt was really sore for some reason.

Oh right, she'd fallen on it. Twice.

The blonde sighed and reluctantly drew out from under her fluffy white comforter and lightly stretched out to start waking up her muscles. She glanced over to her bedside table and noticed the notification light on her phone blinking at her.

She picked up the device and quickly swiped in her passcode. She swiped down the notification bar, there were new messages from none other than her best friend Levy.

 _Hey Lu!_

 _How was the date?_

 _Is he the ONE?!_

Lucy sighed sitting on the edge of her bed. Of course her best friend would want to know all about the date, and if he was her soulmate. Levy was the only one who knew about the whole soulmate letter thing and the reason behind the blonde's preference for names that start with N.

Not that either of them had had any luck with the whole soulmate thing. Levy of course didn't mind, she always had her books and Lucy, well, she just didn't want to be alone.

Of course she had Levy and she would always have Levy but Levy had a tendency to disappear into her books from time to time and Lucy hated the feeling of bothering her friend. The idea of having someone who was meant to compliment her in every way and who would be happy to be by her side. It was her ultimate dream.

She gave another small sigh and texted Levy a quick reply summarizing the disaster of last night's date.

She put the phone down and padded to her bathroom to go through her morning routine.

She brushed her teeth, quick shower, hair maintenance, got dressed in one of her usual outfits, and headed to her kitchen for breakfast.

Lucy opened her cupboard and groaned. She had forgotten to restock on coffee beans. She sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost seven.

If she was going to get through another day of job searching she really needed some caffeine.

The blonde decided that the café down the street was as good a place as any to get her caffeine fix. Grabbing her folder of resumes, her purse, and of course her keys, she headed out, locking the door behind her.

Lucy headed down the road. It was going to be another long day, she just knew it. At least she didn't have any awkward dates lined up for tonight. But job searching was hard, especially when all she really wanted to do was work on her novel. Unfortunately though, an unfinished manuscript by an (as of yet) unpublished author wasn't going to pay the bills. Which is why Lucy was job hunting for something that paid decently but also left her with enough time to write.

She had considered teaching for a bit, as it was definitely an option for an English major like her but the idea of going through another four years of school just wasn't that appealing. She wanted to go on adventures and then write about them, not sit in a lecture hall.

Not that the blonde was going to be travelling any time soon. But one step at a time.

Speaking of steps, Lucy was now just a couple of steps away from Maggie's Magic, which was a cute little café with special deals for regulars. Like the blonde who was there all the time due to her caffeine addiction she'd developed in her university days.

"The usual Lucy?" the cheery purple haired barista asked recognizing one of their best customers.

"Yes please!" Lucy chirped. The blonde had considered being a barista at the café but because it was such a small business the employees didn't get a high enough pay cheque to suit Lucy's needs.

As the blonde waited by the counter for her Vanilla Chai Latte, she allowed her eyes to skim over the people in the shop. People watching was always a hobby of hers as she could often find inspiration for her characters in the people around her.

She was curiously watching a tall dark haired man with various piercings sipping coffee from a steel travel mug when she heard a shout of

"Hey Weirdo!"

Her eyes widened as she turned and saw a vaguely familiar pinkette approaching her, a bright smile on his face.

Lucy rubbed her eyes, it was the guy from last night. The nice one, not her date, but still who even was this guy? He just seemed to show up out of nowhere and now he seemed to be everywhere!

"Are you stalking me or something?" she asked incredulously.

The man looked confused, "Why would I do that?"

Lucy wasn't sure if she should be offended by that, she was more than pretty enough to be stalked, but the way he said it so completely bewildered like it would never occur him to stalk anyone was kind of cute.

She just sighed and waved the air in front of her, brushing off the comment. "Never mind, what are you doing here?"

The pinkette frowned at her, "Getting coffee, what else do you do at a café?" he said, staring at her.

Lucy face palmed. She was being stupid, the world didn't revolve around her after all. Of course he was getting coffee, if he'd walked her home last night he probably lived in the area as well. Everyone in the area loved Maggie's.

"Sorry," she apologized, "Haven't had my coffee yet, you know?"

The man chuckled, his face relaxing into one of joy almost instantly. "Oh yeah, totally"

"Vanilla Chai Latte" the barista called out putting the drink on the counter.

Lucy grabbed it gratefully and turned to leave.

"Aww you leaving so soon?" The man whined, pouting like a toddler.

Lucy turned to look at him, "Umm yes?"

The pinkette then proceeded to give her a sad look, border line puppy dog eyes, as he said "But we didn't get to finish talking last night"

Lucy spluttered. Who exactly was this guy? Oh right he was Salamander? She thought that's what his name was. Or maybe a nickname?

The blonde took a deep breath trying to focus her brain.

"Look, Salamander right? I don't know you. Thanks for walking me home last night but really you don't need to talk to me"

"But I want to!"

Lucy was surprised. Someone wanted to talk to her? She definitely could use more friends, even if it wasn't necessarily her soulmate…

Lucy glanced at the clock hanging behind the counter, she supposed she had some time to spare.

Giving a small smile she shrugged at the pinkette. "I guess I could talk for a bit"

"Alright!" he exclaimed pumping an enthusiastic fist in the air, consequently drawing the attention of everyone in the small café. Lucy turned red with embarrassment, ushering the man into a booth and trying to avoid the awkward stares everyone was giving them.

"Geesh, do you have to be so loud?" she scolded him.

He grinned kind of sheepishly stretching his arms behind his head. "Habit I guess"

Lucy resisted the urge to face palm, instead trying to actually take in the guy in front of her. It was hard because she kept getting distracted by his bright pink hair or his blinding smile but he seemed like he was around her age, he was fit, his eyes were almond shaped and seemed vaguely Asian, and he was wearing a white scarf with an interesting pattern woven into the material…kind of like scales.

She took a sip of her coffee, waiting for him to start talking, he seemed to do a lot of that.

He grinned at her leaning his elbows on the table. "So do I get a name now?"

Lucy managed to not spit out her coffee. He was so blunt!

"Do I get a name?" she countered.

The guy frowned. "I thought I told you last night? I mean you seemed to recognize me"

Lucy arched a brow. "So your name is actually Salamander?"

The pinkette laughed. "Of course not, that's a nickname! Did I say that was my name? Oh I must have gone off on a story about my nickname didn't I? Sometimes I do that, like go off on tangents and stuff. My brain just goes a million different places at once and my mouth just keeps going with it and my friends get mad because I have no filter what so ever and"

Lucy started laughing.

"What?" he asked.

"You went off on a tangent about tangents" she chortled.

"Gah" he said banging his head onto his forearms. "Gee, I'm sorry. What was the question again?"

Lucy gave a little sigh and smiling put out her hand.

"I'm Lucy, and your name is?"

"Luigi? That's a weird name. Why would your parents name you that?"

Lucy huffed and smacked his hand gently. "It's Lucy!" she corrected.

"Oh whoops, that's pretty"

Lucy smiled. "Thanks…and your name?"

"Oh right my name is "

"Spicy Cinnamon Mocha!"

"Oh that's mine!" the pinkette said getting up to get his drink.

Lucy laughed, taking another sip from her latte. She glanced at the time, it was getting close to eight. She'd been planning at being at her first prospective job around nine, so she should be leaving soon…

Glancing at the pink haired man making his way back towards her, Lucy decided she could stay until eight thirty at the latest.

Salamander slid back into the booth, gulping his hot drink eagerly.

"You're going to burn your tongue!" Lucy exclaimed.

The pinkette scoffed and lowered his drink. "I don't exactly burn easily" he said, humour in his voice like it was part of an inside joke.

He chuckled at her confused expression. "I'm a firefighter!" he said, sharing the joke with the blonde. Her eyes widening as she took in the information,

"Seriously?"

"Heck yeah" he said pumping his fist in the air.

"How'd you get into that?" Lucy asked genuinely curious, she was always interested in a good story.

"Well I've always really liked fire but since starting fires is a bit frowned upon I figured that helping people who don't know how to control a fire was the next best thing!" he said giving her a toothy grin.

Lucy laughed. "I guess that's one way to look at it"

Natsu chuckled, "I thought about going into pyrotechnics or fireworks but I've always really liked helping people y'know?"

"Yeah, you definitely seem like a people person"

"Aww thanks Luigi"

"It's Lucy!"

"Right, sorry. So what do you do?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, what do you do Luce?"

"Well I'm currently working on a novel"

"You're a writer!"

"Not published yet or anything" Lucy spluttered waving off Salamander's sudden excitement, not that it helped much.

"That's so cool! What do you write about? Are they adventure stories? I really like adventures, don't you?"

"Uh yeah I like adventures, though I tend to put a romantic spin on them usually"

"Do your stories have dragons?"

"Dragons?"

"I love dragons! They are by far the most superior creature!"

Lucy watched in amusement as the pinkette launched into a huge rant about how amazing dragons were, waving his arms around animatedly, and he did make some fair points. Perhaps she could use a dragon in her novel. Or maybe she could introduce a loud mouthed fire breather to deter her hero from her quest.

Speaking of which! Lucy glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost ten!

"Oh my goodness, I've got to go!" she said cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Go where?" he asked.

"Job hunting" Lucy groaned, getting up and out of the booth.

"But I thought you were a writer?"

Lucy sighed. "Yeah but until I get published I need something to pay the bills"

"Have you tried applying at Fairy Tail?"

Lucy tilted her head. "Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah, it's a bar slash restaurant type joint just around the block from here. It's a great joint and Mira was saying they were looking for someone not too long ago"

"Huh, I just might stop by. Thanks again!" she said hurrying out of the café.

"Bye Weirdo!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. It seemed she had made a new friend.

Her eyes widened, whose name she still didn't know. She looked back at the café, now standing several feet away…

The blonde shrugged, Salamander had already taken up more than enough of her time today. She did like to stick more or less to her schedule. She kept walking toward the more commercial area of town. As she turned the block, she saw a large restaurant with a rather interesting logo decorating its sign.

 _Fairy Tail_

Lucy tilted her head in thought. Maybe she should give it a chance?

Maybe this was the beginning of her own little adventure.


	4. 3 - F is for Fairy Tail

**A/N: Happy Easter! Or for those who don't celebrate the holiday, Happy Sunday! Enjoy the latest chapter and as always please review! *FIXED THE TYPO***

* * *

"Hi welcome to Fairy Tail!" Lucy said greeting her customers.

The blonde had successfully landed a job at the bar/restaurant and was extremely happy. The wages were just enough to cover rent and basic necessities plus the tips helped her save for the not so necessary items. It also had fairly regular hours which meant she still had time to write her novel on the side.

The head hostess and bar tender Mira Jane had been super nice too. She'd been a bit surprised when Lucy had come in last week but as soon as she mentioned Salamander, the white-haired girl's face had lit up.

"Oh you're a friend of our Salamander's eh? That's so nice of him to point you over here. I felt awkward about advertising the position because I didn't want to feel like we were replacing Lisanna and besides you never know who you're going to get with an ad. Thanks so much for applying!"

It seemed that Mira's younger sister who had been waitressing had left to go on expeditions in the African Savannah researching lions and had left Mira short-staffed. Which worked out perfectly for Lucy.

Lucy took down the customers' orders and headed to the kitchen to place them.

She headed back to another table to check on another customer who was really testing her patience.

"Have you decided on anything yet, Nab?" she asked sweetly.

The man looked up at her, blinked, and then went back to frowning at the menu.

"I just can't decide" he murmured.

Lucy sighed. "Just let me know when you do" she said walking off.

Nab was a regular customer at Fairy Tail, and despite the N name Lucy didn't need a date to know he wasn't her soulmate. The guy could never make a decision!

The blonde loved her job so far, it had only been a week but the atmosphere was fun and lively and all the staff were so nice to her.

She smiled as she headed back to the kitchen to check on her orders. As she was coming back out she heard a loud cry of "Hey Lucy!"

The blonde turned and was only slightly surprised to see the pink haired man responsible for introducing her to this place sitting at one of the tables she was supposed to wait on. What were the chances?

Lucy smiled and headed over to the waving pinkette.

"Hey Salamander, and friends" she said noting that he wasn't alone in the booth. Sitting across from him was a brooding dark haired man with a slightly unbuttoned shirt and an elegant looking red-headed woman. They both watched her curiously as Salamander introduced them.

"Hey Lucy! So you did end up working here! I thought you might! This is Erza she's really awesome but kind of scary – OW!"

It seemed the "scary" comment had earned the pinkette a kick from under the table and a terrifying glare. The red-heads expression softened though as she turned to face Lucy.

"It's nice to meet you Lucy"

"Likewise, Erza" the blonde said smiling.

"And the stripper is Gray!" the pinkette said cheerfully pointing to the dark haired man who had somehow, in the span of Lucy's interaction with Erza, taken off his shirt completely.

Lucy blushed and Erza started scolding Gray to put his shirt back on Gray looked somewhat embarrassed and just sort of nodded in Lucy's direction as he tried to get his shirt back on.

"So what can I get you guys?" Lucy asked.

"Just tell Cana to give us the usual" Salamander said.

"Aye sir" Lucy said giving a salute and heading to the bar.

Cana was the main bartender and a very interesting personality. She was definitely the best when it came to manning the bar as she knew every bottle and mix by heart, or possibly by taste as she was a pro drinker. She could drink any rowdy customer under the table and definitely hold her own. Lucy really enjoyed her presence, even if she had to be constantly turning down the brunette's drink offers.

"Lushi!" Cana slurred.

"Hey Cana, Salamander, Erza, and Gray would like their usuals"

"Flame brain's here? Nice, we're in for a fun night. I'll get those drinks right away" the brunette said with a wink.

Lucy arched a brow and glanced back at the booth where it looked like the pinkette and the raven haired man were starting an argument. Oh boy.

The blonde turned back to the bar to accept a tray of drinks from Cana and headed back over to the booth with the bickering men. Their female colleague looking bored.

Erza smiled as Lucy approached with the drinks grabbing a strawberry daiquiri.

"Thanks Lucy"

"No problem Erza"

"Luuuuucyyyy! Tell Ice Princess that cats are better than dogs!"

"No way Fire Breath! Dogs are better!"

"Are not!"

Lucy gave a laugh and placed the remaining drinks on the table. Gray gave a nod of thanks as he grabbed his drink but his attention was focused on the screaming pinkette who was ranting about the superiority of cats.

The blonde couldn't help herself.

"Actually, I prefer dogs" she said, smirking as Salamander's jaw dropped.

"Thank you!" Gray exclaimed.

"Lucy, how could you?" the pinkette asked, clutching a hand to his heart and staring at her with face of utter betrayal.

Lucy giggled. "Dogs are just cuddlier, cats are way too independent"

Salamander snorted, "You just haven't met Happy yet. Man, he is so dependent. And cuddly! I bet Happy could turn you into a cat lover! You should come meet him!"

Lucy blushed, "Maybe, I got to go check on my other tables. Let me know if you guys need anything"

The group gave their thanks to Lucy as she walked off and continued their conversation.

It was a busy night at Fairy Tail, Lucy managed to keep up okay. She'd definitely improved since her first day and she did have a lot of fun working. She was just nervous because there were more than a few times where it seemed like Salamander and Gray would start a fight, luckily Erza seemed to be keeping them in check.

That was until Lucy handed Erza her dessert.

"One slice of strawberry cheesecake" the blonde said with a smile, placing the delicacy in front of the red head who stared at it in awe.

"Thank you" she whispered as she proceeded to savour the cake.

Lucy smiled, glad to see she was enjoying the cake when a sudden blur of pink and black tumbled out of the corner of her eyes. She gasped as she watched Gray and Salamander starting a fight. Luckily it was later in the night and the younger families had left but Lucy wasn't sure what to do.

"Umm Erza?" she tried getting the redhead's attention but Erza was lost to the world of strawberry desserts.

The blonde edged her way to the bar, careful to avoid the tangle of limbs. When she got there, Cana was laughing as she watched the fight.

"Cana shouldn't we do something?"

The brunette shrugged. "Nah, it happens all the time."

Cana leaned forward on the bar, eyes glinting mischievously. "Want to make a bet on who wins?"

"No way, you know these guys! You probably already know the answer, besides you always win bets! It's like you can see the future or something!"

Cana just laughed and continued to watch the fight as Lucy went to check on her other tables, reassuring more than a few customers that the fight was under control. Though she sort of doubted the statement.

At some point the two men rolled into one of the guys at the bar, a tall biker of a man with various piercings who Lucy recognized from last week's live music night. Having had enough of the two brawlers the man simply and efficiently bashed their heads against each other leaving them to stagger back into their booth.

Lucy bit back a smile and went to check on them.

"You guys okay?"

"My head" Salamander moaned.

"We're fine" Gray said offering Lucy a reassuring smile.

Lucy smiled back, "Alright, let me know if you need anything" she walked off once again.

It was around closing time when Lucy found her way back to the booth. Gray and Erza had already eft, saying their goodbyes and 'nice to meet you's. They had been really nice. Which left her confused as to why they would leave the now snoring pinkette in the booth. He'd probably been awake when they'd left but still, now he was somehow Lucy's problem!

The blonde sighed and reached out a hand, shaking the man's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up" she said.

With some gravity-defying skills, Salamander managed to roll over onto his other side without falling of the seat. He grumbled something Lucy couldn't understand and proceeded to snore.

Lucy choked back a laugh. This guy was something else. She tried again, shaking harder.

"Wake up!"

Salamander jerked awake and almost hit his head on the table as he sat up. He looked around before his eyes landed on Lucy. He chuckled embarrassedly as one hand reached to scratch the back of his head.

"Hiya Luce"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the pinkette. "It's closing time"

"Already?"

Lucy giggled, "Time sure flies when you're sleeping"

Salamander chuckled and slid out of the booth, stretching his arms.

"Yeah it sure flies, you want me to walk you home again?" he asked.

Lucy blushed waving her hands in front of her. "You don't have to do that, I live super close by and besides I still have to finish cleaning up"

"No you don't" chirped Mira, startling the blonde as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"We count dragging hooligans like this out part of clean up so you're good to go Lucy" the platinum haired hostess finished as the hooligan in question stuck his tongue out at her.

"Besides I have to head that way anyway, it's no problem Luce"

Lucy sighed. "Alright, let me just grab my stuff" she said heading to the workroom.

As Lucy came out of the workroom with her jacket and purse she saw Salamander waiting for her at the door. She said goodbye to Mira and Cana and walked through the door the pinkette held open for her.

"You know you really don't have to walk me home" she told him.

"Like I said, I'm heading that way anyway" he said smiling at her.

"Thanks again, for recommending Fairy Tail. I really needed the job"

"No problem Luce!"

"You must go there a lot, everyone knows you. Just mentioning you got me the job, really"

Salamander laughed. "Yeah, Fairy Tail has always been home away from home. It's a family business and the owners have always been really nice to all of us. Though I never got my turn to work there back during the old high school days"

Lucy laughed, "I can't picture you as a waiter"

The pinkette chuckled. "Neither could Gramps, he kept saying I was more liable to eat the food than serve it"

"I can believe that"

The two kept laughing and talking. Lucy learned more about Salamander's friends Erza and Gray and how they were both on the police force. She heard more stories about Happy the ultimate cat and she found herself talking more to him than she had talked to anyone, except maybe Levy.

All too soon they found themselves standing outside Lucy's apartment building.

Salamander pouted. "Damn, you live too close. I was having fun talking to you"

Lucy laughed at his silly expression. "I was having fun talking to you too"

The pinkette gave her a crooked smile, his eyes sparkling with an almost mischievous light.

"Well if you give me your number we could probably keep talking" he said, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

She laughed, "Seriously?"

"What? I work odd hours, who knows when I'll get to see you again?" Salamander begged, giving her his classic puppy dog eyes.

She giggled and held out her phone so he could add himself as a contact. He took it eagerly and handed her his phone as well.

She smiled as she typed in her name with a little star emoji and then gave him her cellphone number. She then waited impatiently as he continued to type into her phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to take her phone back.

He easily dodged her hand and with a couple more types finally handed back her phone. She raised her eyebrows at the really long ridiculous contact name he had added for himself.

 _FairyTail'sIncredibleFireBreathingSalamanderDRAGONSRULE!(Lizard emoji)_

Lucy laughed. "What the actual?"

Salamander just smiled, "Obviously it's the best contact name ever. I bet there is no else in your contacts with that cool a name"

Lucy just rolled he eyes. "Maybe because most people just put their names?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Lucy just laughed and opened the door to her building.

"Good night!" she waved.

"G'night!"

Lucy smiled as she dumped her purse near her front door and kicked off her shoes. She headed to her desk to get some writing in, her eyes occasionally wandering to her phone which was open to her newest contact.

The blonde giggled to herself. Salamander sure was a weird guy, but he was definitely a cool friend to have.


End file.
